Reflection Letter

Dear UTRGV EdTech Faculty,

Prior Experiences

After working in public education for nearly a decade, I started to feel like my growth opportunities were stagnating. The pandemic became the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, and motivated me to explore other industries. I searched for careers adjacent to education that also incorporated more of my skills and interests: design, collaboration, and creativity. I discovered the field of Instructional Design and was hooked! Within six months, I had a job offer. Thus far, my journey into the world of educational technology has been rewarding, invigorating, and exactly the career shift I needed. 

To further my career and personal goals, I decided to pursue my Masters of Education in Educational Technology with a certificate in Technology Leadership. My hopes with pursuing this degree and certificate are two fold. First, I've been interested in earning a Masters degree for over a decade, but I had previously struggled to find the right fit (for example, I knew K-12 administration wasn't for me). Now that I've discovered a field that I find interesting and intellectually rewarding, the timing felt right to start the program! Second, I hope to become a trusted voice in my company on the best learning strategies, processes, technologies and tools for maximizing learning. I still have so much to learn in the field of educational technology, and being able to demonstrate my mastery of the content with an MEd will provide expanded opportunities and open so many professional doors at my current company and beyond.

EdTech Program Experiences

Since starting the program in January of this 2024, I've expanded and enriched my understanding of instructional design. Often in my job related duties, the line between instructional designer and eLearning developer becomes blurry. Throughout this program, there has been a distinct focus on mapping out and designing a well-structured course from the ground up. For example, in EDTC6321, we spent considerable time in the "analysis" stage of the ADDIE framework. At work, I hadn't needed to consistently conduct a thorough analysis of the learning environment, intended audience, and task analysis. Rather, I was handed that information from another teammate and asked to develop the course. I appreciated that in EDTC6321 (Instructional Design) I was able to engage and build first-hand knowledge of this essential step of the instructional design process. The careful mapping out of performance objectives using the "condition", "behavior" and "criteria" descriptors really helped me wrap my mind around the intentionality of designing learning experiences. Even as a teacher, I never really dove that deeply into mapping out a lesson plan. Another component of EDTC6321 that I enjoyed was the "evaluation" component. Sharing my instructional plan with peers and colleagues was an enjoyable, if not slightly nerve-wracking, experience. I always tell my supervisor that I enjoy feedback because it helps refine the courses I develop into something better for the user, and sometimes I don't think she believes me. But in this course I can confidently say that the "evaluation" step is one of the most valuable components! Remaining open and willing to receive feedback can not only improve the experience for the learner, it also makes you a better instructional designer. In this course I learned that intentional preparation, reflection and attention to detail are key elements to a well-designed course.

Another course that I found especially informative and engaging was EDTC6323 (Multimedia/Hypermedia). Much of my prior knowledge in design and lesson planning was informal, learned 'on the job' as a junior graphic designer in college and teacher for ten years. When we dove into Mayer's multimedia principles, it was eye-opening for me! It brought such clarity and confirmation to learn the actual theory and definitions behind the design elements I had been employing for years. Then being able to intentionally apply those principles to a learning experience felt like coming full circle. I designed a course on education advocacy, which is near and dear to my heart, and was able to share that learning experience with friends and family members for their feedback. It was especially exciting to see change in knowledge and confidence between the pre- and post-test. My course testers walked away feeling more confident becoming civically engaged! It's reassuring to see the fruits of your hard work backed up with data and positive feedback! 

For all of the great experiences I had this year, I did face some challenges. In EDTC6341 (Student-Centered Learning), I faced some hiccups with following the correct APA format and with completing my self-directed learning opportunity. When I was still teaching, I invested in an instruction design boot camp called IDOL (Instructional Design and Online Learning) to help me pivot outside of the classroom. Once I landed a job, I stopped completing badges in IDOL to focus on my new role. I had an opportunity to complete one of those pending IDOL badges for the student-centered learning component of EDTC6341. The good news is, I was able to eventually complete the badge. However, it became a bigger challenge than I expected to meet the rigorous standards to pass, and required multiple iterations of my storyboard and weeks of back and forth with the IDOL supervisors. Ultimately, I did learn quite a bit from the experience, and felt that I refined my skills as an instructional designer. However, if I could do it again, I probably would have selected a badge that had an exam-based assessment rather than a project-based assessment. 

Lessons Learned and Advice

Reflecting on my experience in the EdTech program this past year, I can see how I've grown professionally and have been able to apply the new skills and knowledge I've learned to my career. In particular, I've come to appreciate the benefits of a full ADDIE process in my work projects. Prior to starting this program, I would often skip ahead to what I considered to be 'the fun stuff' - the development stage. This often resulted in long development times, multiple poorly thought out iterations, and frustration for myself as I would frequently need to substantially revise my eLearning materials. In a fast-faced work environment, it's tempting to skip the 'analysis' stage in particular. However, this program has solidified for me the importance of really understanding the audiences needs, the technology resources available, and the expectations of the project stakeholders. This was often the trap I fell into as a teacher as well - focusing on delivering content rather than focusing on helping students learn. My takeaway from this lesson learned is "go slow to go fast". With intentional, thorough planning - and keeping the learners needs front and center - you can develop a methodical, effective, and timely learning experience that actually gets the job done well, not just done.

Another lesson learned throughout this program is the benefit of quality discussion and feedback with peers and colleagues. I truly enjoyed the discussion posts - especially in the Educational Psychology course - and found value in engaging with peers on a wide range of EdTech topics and courses. Although it felt a bit tedious at the beginning, it really was a great way to stay engaged in the online coursework and to build relationships. By nature of an online learning program, it can be difficult to stay 'connected'. The weekly discussion posts and EdTech blogs ensured that I was continuously learning, reflecting on and explaining my thought processes, supporting my peers, and maintaining my professional learning community. I've built several professional connections throughout this program that I plan to maintain after graduation. So my main takeaway from this lesson learned is to lean in to the social component of this program; build and maintain those relationships, be open to learning from one another (not just the coursework), and enjoy the process! 

Finally, I had to carefully balance the challenges of working full time while completing the EdTech Masters program. The best habit I picked up early on was to complete assignments well before the actual due date. Every Sunday when a new EdTech blog post was made, I carved time out of my afternoon to respond. I'd complete any discussion posts and writing drafts early in the week, and have a final draft ready to submit by mid-week before it was due. This gave me time to revise based on professor feedback, and also ensured I was able to enjoy my weekend without worrying about due dates or late submissions. Balancing work, family, and school work was sometimes the most challenging aspect of the program. In a few situations we had family trips planned over a long weekend, which interrupted the routines I had built and maintained throughout the year. When that happened, I would essentially double-up on the coursework I would complete in the following days, to ensure that getting behind in one week didn't cause a domino effect of being behind in later weeks as well. The best advice I can give for those also juggling work, family, and school work is to dedicate a few hours each day early in the week to really knock out the necessary readings and assignments so that your weekends can be spent relaxing with family and enjoying stress-free!

Future EdTech Goals

To be honest, I always considered a Masters program to be one of those goals that I never quite achieved. It had been so long since I'd been in school, and previous programs I'd looked into were too cost prohibitive. I had resigned myself to never quite reaching that milestone. Then, in an annual review discussion in my first year of being an instructional designer, I expressed those worries to my supervisor. I will forever be thankful that she encouraged and challenged me to push myself. She pointed out that there will never be a right or easy time to pursue your goals. She helped me select a program, navigate our employee tuition reimbursement program, and reassured me that it would be a worthwhile investment in myself and my career. She was right!

I hope to leverage this achievement to get a raise, and to position myself within the organization as a trusted learning and development leader. Our L&D team is small but mighty, and we can make a real difference for our learners with the right level of influence and support. Additionally, it will be worthwhile to have this Masters degree in my back pocket for future professional endeavors. If ever I feel ready to explore other companies or instructional design roles, I will be able to tout not only my years of experience but also my advanced education in the field. This is especially important for those of us who transitioned out of a K-12 classroom, as there is sometimes some judgement in the field towards transitioning teachers. 

All said and done, I am incredibly proud of myself for completing this significant personal and professional achievement! The UTRGV EdTech Masters program was appropriately challenging and informative, and has helped me strengthen and solidify my foundational knowledge of instructional design and educational technology. I did it! :) 

Regards,

Shannon Thomas